Actor · Voice actor · 1931–2024

James Earl Jones

5: briefs
13:00: average
65 min: in total

On film.briefs5

Claudine

John Berry, John Berry · 1974

A 1974 drama set in Harlem, Claudine follows Claudine Price, a single Black mother of six who works as a housekeeper while relying on welfare. When she begins dating Rupert, a cheerful garbage collector, their relationship is tested by poverty, bureaucratic constraints, her children’s resistance, and systemic pressures. Directed by John Berry and written by Tina Pine, the film grounds its social observation in specific place and unvarnished performance—Diahann Carroll and James Earl Jones anchor a portrait of endurance, interdependence, and quiet dignity.

13:00

Matewan

John Sayles · 1987

John Sayles’s 1987 drama reconstructs the 1920 Matewan coal strike in West Virginia with forensic attention to economic detail, regional speech, and collective agency. Shot on location with Haskell Wexler’s naturalistic cinematography and Mason Daring’s period-accurate score, it follows union organiser Joe Kenehan as he navigates racial division, corporate espionage, and escalating violence — culminating in the historic Battle of Matewan. The film avoids hero worship, instead distributing moral weight across miners, widows, preachers, and lawmen. Though critically lauded and preserved in the National Film Registry, its deliberate pace and structural complexity make it demanding but rewarding viewing.

13:00

Dr. Strangelove

Stanley Kubrick · 1964

Stanley Kubrick's 1964 black comedy, adapted from Peter George's thriller novel Red Alert, follows a rogue American general's order for a nuclear strike on the Soviet Union and the frantic, mostly useless efforts of the President, his aides and a visiting RAF officer, all three played by Peter Sellers, to call it back. Shot entirely at Shepperton Studios on Ken Adam's cavernous War Room set for $1.8 million, it grossed $9.4 million, won three BAFTAs, and is now ranked among the American Film Institute's greatest and funniest American films.

13:00

Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope

George Lucas · 1977

George Lucas's 1977 space opera sends farm boy Luke Skywalker into a rebellion against the Galactic Empire after he acquires stolen plans for a planet-destroying superweapon, teaming with smuggler Han Solo, Princess Leia and Jedi master Obi-Wan Kenobi. Made for $11 million after multiple studios turned the project down, it became a surprise blockbuster, grossing $775 million across its releases, winning six Academy Awards, and establishing the modern template for franchise filmmaking.

13:00

Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back

Irvin Kershner · 1980

Irvin Kershner's 1980 sequel sends the Rebel Alliance into retreat as the Galactic Empire hunts them down, splitting Luke Skywalker's training under Jedi master Yoda from Han Solo and Princess Leia's flight from Darth Vader's forces. Written by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan from George Lucas's story outline, it went well over its original $8 million budget to a reported $30.5 million, became the year's highest-grossing film, and is now widely regarded as the strongest entry in the Star Wars series.